While many lights in a car could mean a variety of things, the oil pressure light is, obviously, specific to that problem. This is nothing to ignore either. While many of us manage to ignore even the check engine light for longer than we should, the oil pressure in a car needs to maintain a certain basic level to avoid doing long term damage to a car engine.

What to Do

If you notice your oil pressure light has come on, it is time to pull over, immediately. Once you are safely off the road, shut the car off to avoid damage. As long as you are in a safe area away from too much traffic, then you should pop your hood and check your dipstick. The oil should be at a certain level. If it is way below that level, you have a problem.

The best thing you can do is try to go get oil or have it brought to you and refill until the minimum level has been reached. You should, of course, check for leaks after refilling. Also, make sure to monitor the levels without waiting for the oil light to alert you to a problem. If you quickly lose oil again, you more than likely have an oil leak. This is at least less costly to repair than replacing an engine, which is what could happen if you drive the car on low oil levels.

Low and High Oil Pressure

If you find out you have high oil pressure it probably means you have faulty pressure relief valves. The good news is, high oil pressure is not a problem to be concerned with. Especially compared to low oil pressure. Low oil pressure in a car, as mentioned above, can cause severe damage to a car. The best thing you can do is remember to check your oil level on a regular basis. It is actually a good idea to check your oil level each time you fill up your car with gasoline. At the very least, try to check it once a month. Waiting until the oil light comes on could mean the damage to the car and engine is already done.

Other Things About Oil

First, when checking your oil level, it is a good idea to let the car cool down just a bit before checking your dipstick. While the engine is warm, heat can cause the oil to rise slightly, making it appear to be a higher level than it actually is. So, for instance, it is a good idea to check the oil level when you stop for gas, but after you have finished pumping gas. This gives it just enough cooling time. Also, low temperature and dirty oil can affect the level and functionality of oil pressure in a car.

Related posts

• Your Cooling Systems Are Only as Good As Your Coolant (0)
• Where and How to Get Help Finding the Parts You Need For Your Vehicles (0)
• The Best Car to Buy For Your Family (0)
• Some Cool Car Accessories to Enhance Your Driving Experience (0)
• Should I Convert My Car to Electric -Should I Convert My Car to Electric? – Rationalizing a Conversion? (0)

The procedure then was to add some chemical cleaner to the radiator, allow it to run for 15 to 30 minutes, open the radiator drain, and insert a garden hose into the radiator to perform the coolant flushing. We performed this cooling system service typically every fall.

Today the cooling system runs hotter, typically around 240 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooling systems, radiators, and heater cores capacity is smaller. Full time operation mechanical fans have been replaced by on demand electric fans. This extra heat attacks the inhibitors in the engine coolant and required a rethink of the engine coolant formulation.

These inhibitors are what protects the metals inside the engine, radiator, heater core and water pump. An engine coolant replacement protects them from erosion and corrosion. Yes, you read that right, erosion. Manufacturers in their quest to obtain the government mandated fuel mileage requirements have lightened the weight of every component including cooling systems, radiators and heater cores. Heater cores are so thin that using worn out engine coolant can destroy a new one in just a few hours!

Measuring the inhibitor levels is impractical in the field so the next best thing is measuring the coolant/water concentration. This must be done by using a Refractometer coolant tester. The Refractometer uses a minimal amount of coolant that can be taken from the coolant reservoir, radiator or the engine block.

Inexpensive gravity float testers (floating balls) will not completely analyze the coolant concentration fully and should not be used. However this gravity float tester is still being used by shops and professionals that have not kept up with the changes.

The concentration levels should be between 50% and 65% coolant concentrate. This mixture will have a freeze point protection of -34 degrees Fahrenheit. If the concentration is below 50%, the cooling system must be flushed not simply drain or flush radiator and add. If the vehicle’s coolant is low, drained out, or the customer has repeatedly added coolant or water to the cooling system, then the cooling system should be completely flushed.

What is the service interval?

Examination of manufacturers recommended coolant flushing interval is typically specified as 2 years or 30,000 miles for silicated coolants (typically green color) and 5 years or 100,000 miles for extended drain coolants like Dex-Cool (orange or gold in color). However the same Dex-Cool coolant used in the same vehicle operated in Canada, GM states “a service interval of 5 years or 240,000 km (150,000 mi)”.

Why the difference? Could it be the colder climate or is it strictly a marketing tactic? If you recall GM was sued many times for engine damages resulting from the recommended service interval. The reason for the dual statements is the first is partially based on laboratory testing and the later on real world experiences. Privately many manufacturers suggest 36 months or 50,000 miles as the coolant flushing interval for the extended life engine coolant.

Flushing procedures

Exercise great caution as the fluids are extremely hot and can do serious bodily harm to you! To avoid being burned, do not remove the radiator cap or surge tank cap while the engine is hot. The cooling system will release scalding fluid and steam under pressure if the radiator cap or surge tank cap is removed while the engine and radiator are still hot Prior to the coolant flush procedure, the coolant reservoir (aka surge or overflow tank) must be removed, drained, cleaned and reinstalled before refilling the system. Also on a precautionary note bypass or remove the heater core from the coolant flushing by removing the heater hoses and inserting a bypass hose, this could save you the expense of having to replace it which requires a dash removal on almost all vehicles.

Don’t use one of the “Prestone flush kits” that has a “T” fitting for a garden hose as this can cause leaks and result in damages, also it can promote erosion of the metals in the cooling system during the coolant flush procedure from excessive pressure and flow. Drain the coolant and dispose of it properly. Refill the system using clear, drinkable water and run the vehicle until the thermostat opens. Repeat this process three (3) times to totally remove the old coolant or until the drained coolant is almost clear.

Once the cooling system is completely flushed, mix a 50%-60% concentration with the correct engine coolant concentrate and gently pour it through the heater core until fresh engine coolant emerges. Then reattach the heater core into the cooling system. Refill the cooling system to a 50%-60% concentration with the correct engine coolant concentrate.

Using the wrong engine coolant may cause premature engine, heater core or radiator corrosion. Then slowly add clear, drinkable water to the system until the level of the coolant mixture has reached the base of the radiator neck or the level indicator on the surge tank. Wait a few minutes and re-verify the coolant level. If necessary, add clean water to restore the coolant to the appropriate level.

Once the system is refilled, re-verify the coolant concentration using a Refractometer coolant tester. The concentration levels should be between 50% and 65%. If you use an improper coolant mixture, your engine could overheat and be badly damaged. Then add the appropriate stop leak pellets to the coolant as specified by the manufacturer to correct micro porosity in the gaskets.

Related posts

• No related posts.

There are several junkyards around the country that can take care of a scrap car. However, before you contact one of them to remove your car, you must ensure that they are government approves ones operating with a valid license. There are rules laid down by the government to ensure disposal of cars in an environmentally friendly way and you should by all means promote this noble effort. These yards that handle scrap car usually have a free towing service so that all you have to do is give them a call. Plus, some of them would also offer to buy the valuable parts from you and pay you money for the metal junk. But, before you get down to sending your car away to a scrap yard, there are a few things you must do yourself.

Junkyards that undertake the disposal of scrap car do not have any requirement for anything that is not metal. When they pay, they do so for the metal you hand over to them, and any other material in the load only brings down the amount of money you can squeeze out of the deal. It makes sense, therefore, to remove all those parts from your car before they tow it away. Dismantling a car is not an easy job and when you start doing it, you should call over a few friends to help you out. You may also want to treat your friends for some beers. In fact, there are people who throw car-dismantling parties to make the job a little fun.

When you get down to removing parts from your scrap car you have to begin with all the fluids like the wiper fluids, the oil, transmission fluid, etc. Next, you should remove the battery, the radiator, the carburetor, the distributor cap, spark plugs etc. Once you’re done with that you can get down to the heavier jobs and remove the engine, the exhaust, transmission, fenders, door panels, dashboard, carpeting, steering wheel, etc. You can leave the tires for later after the car is towed away and is safely in the junkyard. You can expect to make a good hundred dollars selling the metal to the junkyard and some more if you can sell the spare parts.

Related posts

• No related posts.

Even though hiring a car broker incurs some cost, the cost is paid to the convenience it gives in the process of transaction. Can you imagine how much money you will loss when you are cheated by tricky car salespeople? Accordingly, you need to make sure that the car broker you are dealing with is licensed in this business. For this, Private Fleet Australia is the right option. It works by searching the car you want through internet. Then, it will arrange a time for test-drive by an experienced driver available in the company. Many years of experience has enabled this company to serve their clients in a highly professional way.

However, there are some concerns related to the use of car broker in finding a new or used car. Firstly, choosing the car you want is definitely at the hand of the broker. It is often very difficult to ensure the capability of the brokers in dealing with the car purchase. Secondly, car broker is purely an intermediary. Actually, dealing with car brokers is not as secured as dealing with established dealers. Thirdly, even though the car broker may schedule test-drive, it is their representative who does it, not the clients. Therefore, looking for new cars Australia through a broker, the clients should recognize the track record of the brokers to avoid any regret in the future.

Related posts

• No related posts.

So, for many businessmen, it would be strongly recommended that you have to join with the personal finance blog. This blog would give you some chances to learn more about the details of the financial field. You should try to sharpen your knowledge about all things in financial field. That is why you should be active in this blog. The blog would be the perfect site for us to search for some information about all things that we might need to know in the business that related to the finance.

We should try to click the Saveonquotes.com to join the blog. We would be able to exchange some information about the financial things that we knew to the other blog users. On the other side, we could learn about many kinds of things that would be useful for us in the site above. This is the perfect place to learn and to share some info in finance. With this blog, we would have many benefits that we might be able to apply in our business, or works, or even in our life. Click the site above to join this excellent blog.

Related posts

• No related posts.

To buy car is just exactly the same with buying electronics. Before you decide to buy car from certain car maker, make sure you choose car which has the best quality and durability compare to the other brands and or course always ask the dealer about the auto warranty coverage that you will get after you take the car home. The function of the car warranties provided by many car dealers and car manufacturers is just the same with the electronic products warranty but in some case, the warranty of the car can be extended to a certain period of time so that you can still have the benefit of car warranty even after the official warranty given by the dealers or manufacturers expired.

If you would like to extend the period of your auto warranties because you think that the official warranty given period is too short, you can just visit the website UsDirectProtect.com to read more information of how can you extend the period of your car warranty. After you read all the important information given, you can directly apply the car warranty extension to extend the protection against your car so you can save more money.

Related posts

• Your Cooling Systems Are Only as Good As Your Coolant (0)
• Where and How to Get Help Finding the Parts You Need For Your Vehicles (0)
• Understanding About Oil Pressure in a Car (0)
• The Best Car to Buy For Your Family (0)
• Some Cool Car Accessories to Enhance Your Driving Experience (0)

As you see at Retailmenot.com, there are free online coupon codes from Fox Rent A Car, a reputable provider of car rental service. The website, a well established directory of online coupon codes, features many coupon codes that will certainly help saving your money on car rental. Before you use a certain coupon code, you have to carefully review the offers. To do so, you will need to read the detail information by clicking on the link. You will then be directed to the official website of the car rental provider. Then, you can easily see that the coupon codes will help you save $18 on Car Rentals averagely. There are also some coupons that give you bigger discounts. You just need to browse the coupon collections in order to find a coupon code that best meets your expectations.

Further, Fox Car Rental also has many other hot deals that will enable you to have economical travels. In other words, if you use their car rental service, you will be able to go to your desired locations conveniently and affordably. You will also be able to enjoy excellent car rental service that highlights customers’ safety and convenience. Therefore, you had better visit this website for further information.

Related posts

• No related posts.

Financing cost
In 2009 The Fed reports the average APR on auto loans was 3.82% with a finance term of just over 60 months. The total monthly payment works out to be $507.23 per month at those rates. In 60 months you will have paid back $30,433.8 totaling $2,736 paid in interest.

Insurance
In the second quarter of 2010 the average auto insurance rate was 1,812. Which works out to be $151 per month. Again, quite an expense when having car insurance is required by law. Combined with the auto loan payment the total is up to 658.23 per month.

Gas
In 2009 the average American spent $2,208 on gas, or $184 per month. Added with the previous costs, we are at a total of $842.23 per month.

Total Cost
Just combining the expenses we have talked about, setting aside regular maintenance and unexpected maintenance, the total yearly expense for a new car, based on the national averages would be $10,106.76 per year. Multiply that by 5 years (60 months) and the total amount that you paid to own a new car was $50,533.80.

How staggering is it that on average we spend 1/3 of our annual salary just to drive a new car?

Related posts

• No related posts.

When you are talking about the general care of the car’s paint, you need to look at all the possibilities that might be responsible for the damage of your car’s paint. Similarly, there is no alternate to cleaning. Proper cleaning will ensure you a better looking car. When you are cleaning, it is advisable that you use products that are designed specifically for this purpose. This is because the companies that manufacture them keep the pH balance and other considerations in their mind. These non-detergent products will cause no harm to the wax on your car’s body, and therefore, ensure better cleaning.

Once you have washed and cleaned your car, you must dry it properly. If the car is not properly dried, the body will have some water spots. These will get dry and will cause damage to the paint. If you are using other products while cleaning, such as soaps etc., you must make certain that they are washed off and then dried. If they are not cleaned, they will dry off on the car’s exterior and will damage the paint.

You also need to save your car from a number of things. These things can prove to be very harmful for the paint. Bird droppings and tar are the main threats to it. Bird droppings are acidic, and therefore they are likely to etch the paint or the chrome if they are not removed. What you should do is clean these with a little soap dissolved in water. Leave a wet paper towel on the spot for a while before you can wash it off. Avoid picking up the bird dropping as this may chip the paint from the area. As for tar, you must only use special tar removal spray. This will avoid any caustic reaction, and easily clear the tar deposits.

You should also save your car from direct sunlight. Too much exposure to direct sun can lead to the dullness of your car’s paint. To avoid this, you can use car polish. Another suggestion is to use car waxes after coating the body with polish. This will give a new shine to your car’s exterior.

Lastly, protect your car from any dents. Denting would mean damage to your car’s paint. Therefore, it is better to drive and park safe, so that your car is safe from any dents. Stay safe, and you can be certain of your car’s companionship for years!

Related posts

• No related posts.

How to find cheap auto insurance online

The carriers which are represented by Online Auto Insurance include the likes of Infinity, Explorer, Progressive, Permanent General, AIG Direct, Unitrin, Liberty Mutual, and 21st Century and GMAC, and this shows that only top Florida auto insurance policies will be sourced when online users attempt to seek coverage. However, more than providing Florida auto insurance seekers with the ability to compare quotes online, Online Auto Insurance has also created a webpage which give many tips on how insurance is calculated and what insurance seekers need to look for when they are comparing the various Florida auto insurance options. Online users of our website will receive the reassurance that by making use of our insurance sourcing website, www.onlineautoinsurance.com, they will be guaranteed that their selected Florida auto insurance coverage will be the cheapest and furthermore, they will be able to purchase a Florida auto insurance policy online. Gone are the days of wasting hours completing forms, or simply taking an insurance broker’s word that the offered Florida auto insurance is in fact the cheapest. To receive a problem free Florida auto insurance quote, enter your zip code and allow our website to generate comprehensive car insurance quotes which are offered by the top insurance carriers in Florida.

Thanks to our online services, wise Florida auto insurance shoppers can find the best of Florida auto insurance coverage and they need rely on one, easy-to-use website. When shopping for Florida auto insurance, it must be remembered that insurance premiums are calculated by taking a number of factors into account and these factors include the value of the motor vehicle, the consumer’s credit profile, the location and the drive style of the buyer and of course, the coverage that is selected. Feel free to browse our site and obtain further information about Florida auto insurance, including car insurance quotes comparison and cheap auto insurance quotes.

Related posts

• Understanding Your Auto Insurance Premium (0)